Chapter 1: So Much For My Happy Ending

When you become a vampire you loose your soul, the only thing that stays the same is your past. You can remember everything you did right and wrong you just don't care anymore. As Nshina sat on the edge of her coffin she thought about her past, even though she was so much older and she knew that they were dead, she couldn't help but wonder what her friends and family had done after she had left. A presence was standing at the door and she knew who it was, but she didn't care.

"Nshina, the others and I are going out hunting; do you wish to join us?"

He asked her

Oh the joys of ripping peoples throats out with my teeth,

She thought bitterly as she stood up and walked out of the room,

"Are you calm now?"

Dracula asked her, when she nodded in reply he turned around with her beside him and they glided out of the room. Marishka, Aleera and Verona were waiting by the door, talking quietly. When they saw Nshina they stopped talking and smiled up at her,

"Are you alright my dear?"

Verona asked her. Nshina's mind suddenly flicked to auto pilot, it did that every time someone asked about her feelings. She smiled her brilliant fake smile and nodded,

"I am perfect my sister,"

Igor threw open the doors to reveal the white, glistening landscape. Snow covered every rooftop and every part of the floor, this scene was familiar to her. It reminded her of the first day she arrived in Transylvania, she was so happy to be apart of this family and she never wanted to leave. Nowadays she just stayed in her room; Nshina breathed in the crisp air and took flight with her master at her side. They flew through the sky like knife cuts butter and descended on the village, their faces snarling at the people below them. Dracula was the first to pick someone up, he was a fat man with little hair and very weak. He tried to struggle against Dracula but soon gave up, his fangs sunk into the mans neck and Dracula drained him dry. Verona was standing on the ground when the body landed beside her, she looked up and saw Dracula grinning down at her, he flew to the other side of the village and let Verona get on with picking her prey. She had cornered a young lady; she was huddled in a corner clutching a screaming baby,

"Kill me if you must but please! Spare my child!"

The woman was screaming at Verona but she didn't care, Verona wasn't in the mood for having mercy today, in fact she was never in the mood to give mercy. Verona pulled the woman up to her feet and a tore her away from her baby who had stopped crying now, it was just simpering. Verona placed the baby on the floor and exposed the woman's neck, her fangs grew and she bit through the soft skin and let the blood flow into her mouth. Aleera was behind her tormenting a group of young men, all of them were good looking. Aleera liked to go for the attractive ones; it was just how she was. All of them put their shaking fists up and gestured for her to try and attack them, Aleera let out a scream of laughter and appeared behind them all. The men screamed and ran in different directions but she managed to catch one before she ran away. Aleera put her hands on his hips and bit down into his neck. Marishka was quite away from them, she was in the sky with a man in her arms. She grinned at him and dropped him, as he fell back to earth all he could do was scream but before he hit the ground Marishka swooped down and flew back up with him in her arms,

"I like my food well shaken before I eat; there is something about adrenaline that makes the blood thicker,"

Tears began to fall from the mans eyes, he looked into the monsters eyes and started to plead,

"Please, just kill me now! There is nothing you want from me, I am no use to you, please just get it over and done with!"

Marishka just laughed,

"But there is something I want from you and that is your blood,"

She flew back down to the ground with the man in her arms and bit into his neck, savouring the metallic liquid that flowed down her throat. Nshina was standing at the edge of the village. She didn't want to join in the feeding frenzy,

"But if I don't Master and I will have another argument,"

Nshina sighed and walked through a crowd of people. There was a house in front of her and she ripped open the door, she could hear the heart beat of someone becoming quicker. It was a girl, about fourteen years old and well toned. Her senses became alert when she heard a tiny movement on the top of the stairs, Nshina materialized behind the teenager and she jumped. The girl started to cry, she knew what was about to happen but there was nothing she could do. What could a mere mortal do against the awesome power of a vampire? Nshina sighed and looked away,

Why do I have to take this child's life? The answer of so that I can live doesn't really explain why,

She put her hands on the girls' shoulders to try and stop her shaking,

"It's alright; I will make it quick I promise,"

The girl looked down and turned her head slightly to look at Nshina,

"My father said that one day I would marry. He said that I would have children and be deeply in love,"

Nshina sighed,

"My father said those words to me once, but things change. No ones fate is set in stone,"

She brought her head closer to the girls neck, just before she sunk her fangs through the soft flesh she heard the girl whisper

"So much for my happy ending,"

Nshina bit into her and drank. When she was finished she dropped the girl to the floor and wiped the blood from her pink lips, she stepped over her body and walked out of the door to greet Marishka,

"Did you get anything?"

Marishka asked her

"Yes, I got a fourteen year old girl,"

They both smiled and met with Verona, Aleera and Dracula in the village centre. Dracula looked around at his brides, who looked healthy and well fed,

"Are we all done here?"

Aleera looked around and nodded,

"I think so, I'm full up,"

Marishka, Verona and Nshina all nodded in agreement. Dracula looked at around at the villagers who were mourning the loos of their loved ones, this made him smile. He took of silently with his brides behind him, Aleera looked back at Nshina who looked confused,

"What's wrong sweetie?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all,"

Aleera looked at her and frowned

"Don't lie to me; you know that you can tell me anything!"

Nshina smiled at Aleera, she knew that she was just trying to be nice to her and Nshina was touched,

"I just want to know what's going on, I think someone may be inside my mind, you know. Messing with my mind, making me believe things,"

Aleera tilted her head but Nshina carried on,

"I know this is going to sound strange but it feels like there is someone else inside my mind, someone other than Master,"

"Do you have any idea who it may be? It can't be Van Helsing because he left long ago and he promised to never return. I don't know who it might be,"

Nshina shook her head

"Neither do I,"

The castle loomed in front of them; the tops of the lowest turrets were hardly visible because the snow had covered them, blending them into the mountains that covered the valley. Verona and Dracula landed first, their skin changing back into their human forms. They were followed by Marishka who started to walk over to them, changing back into her human form as she walked. Aleera and Nshina were the last to land; they were already human before their feet were even close to the ground. Aleera had taught Nshina that trick a few years before, but before that it was a secret she guarded. Dracula's hazel eyes met Verona's chocolate coloured eyes and he smiled at her. The brides were all now standing in a lie talking to one another about the hunt they had just finished. Dracula watched them, listening to their words. The wind blew through a window and mixed the brides hair colours. There was a mixture of fiery red with golden yellow and jet black. The closer Dracula looked the more he realized that Nshina's and Verona's hair were not the same shade had black, Verona's was soft, like it was drawn by charcoal and then smudged. The fine strands looked as if the had been drawn into the air by the finest artists. But Nshina's was a sharper colour, where the moonlight hit it there were tints of dark blue, every strand was like a flowing black line. The sky's darkness had started to break, letting rays of sunlight pierce through the intense black. The vampires walked to their room and Dracula took their hands, as if by their own accord they started to slide back across the floor and melt into a stone wall.

It looked as if they had been carved into the wall by experts, catching each and every detail of the vampire's beings.